A Bun in the Oven, a Cake on the Plate

In keeping with my promise never to make a Baby Cake , this flower cake was a sweet way to celebrate the pending arrival of a friend's baby girl. Her shower was this weekend, and I hope that all the guests took a small slice and left the rest (and a fork) for the mama-to-be, suffering these last months through our Arizona summer.

The 10" by 4.5" high cake is a moist white almond sour cream with  almond American buttercream and raspberry filling. It was frosted with white chocolate ganache before being covered with homemade marshmallow fondant (though some of the flowers were done in Satin Ice fondant). There are 120+ cut flowers laid in a patchwork-quilt design.  A buttercream border finished the cake. 

This was the first time I tried the new Wilton silver cake platters. Strong, thin and pretty (though they do reflect up on the cake, highlighting an imperfection on a smooth, fondant surface.) 

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with a Red Hot on Top

Dark chocolate sour cream cake with a hint of cinnamon--reminiscent of Abuelita hot chocolate. Topped with an oversized (is there such a thing?) swirl of almond scented American buttercream frosting. Some then got a sprinkle of sanding sugar, some a drizzle of 60% dark chocolate ganache. A few took a full on dip in the ganache. But everyone got a cinnamon red hot on top.

Apple Pie a la Lorie, well not exactly

The Independence Day holiday got me in an All-American mood, and that means Apple Pie!  This one was different in that I followed the recipe to. the. letter. Except for the two-hour wait to freeze the bottom crust before adding the hot apples. I rushed it. Which could be the equivalent of pastry suicide. Thankfully, it worked out just fine. And except for not using an egg wash on the top crust for that shiny, toasty finish. My littlest is allergic to eggs and he was doing an actual pie dance in the kitchen he was so excited to eat a dessert with the rest of the family. And except for the upgrade to 1 tsp of Dalwhinnie single malt scotch instead of the generic 1 tsp whisky listed. (note to self: baking with a bottle of Dalwhinnie on the counter can be dangerous) But for me, this is pretty damn close. And once again, thanks to Baked: New Frontiers in Baking for the recipe that made me not want to stray.
End result is a pie that's delicious and a perfect interpretation of the classic apple pie.

Key Lime Pound Cake for Father's Day

Naturally, the big Daddy in my house had his pick of fresh baked gratitude this Father's Day. He chose a Key Lime Pound Cake.  Ever since a little bakery in Florida got their Key Lime Cake anointed as one of Oprah's favorite things a few years ago, there has been an explosion of recipes--each labeling themselves as list-worthy, too. So I set out to create one worth to thank our Daddy today.

I went with a traditional butter pound cake, replacing half of the milk with fresh squeezed key lime juice (they are perfect this time of year!). I did a soak of fresh key lime syrup while it was hot in the pan, then brushed it with the syrup once it was out of the pan.  A cream cheese and butter glaze with minced zest of key lime and lemon finished it off just as it went from warm to cool. With so many applications of key lime juice, every bite is undeniably filled with limey zing.  Mike got his key lime cake, and he's eating it too. Happy Father's Day.

Inside the Sweet and Salty Chocolate Caramel Cake

I had the opportunity to work on perfecting the Sweet and Salty Chocolate Caramel Cake, when a friend requested one to surprise her husband for Father's Day. Learning from the 'test' cake earlier in the week, I did three layers instead of four, and chilled the frosting further before whipping it up. And after a covert facebook conversation, learned that the intended thought bacon would be a bit too much on the already complex cake. I think he was right. This first photo is two of the three stacked layers showing the layer of salted caramel with a few flakes of fleur de sel, and the whipped chocolate caramel ganache.

I couldn't believe how TALL this cake ended up. It was truly a grand spectacle of chocolate decadence.  Thank you again to baked for sharing such an amazing recipe. I said a little prayer as it loaded up for the trip back to Chandler, nestled in a well-iced cooler.  Happy Father's Day, Eric!

Sweet and Salty Chocolate Caramel Cake

You read that right. And if you have already tried the flavor explosion of mixing your salty with your sweet, then I bet you want to know more.  Words can't do it justice, so I'll give the blueprint: layers of  deep chocolate cake layered with a hearty smear of homemade fleur de sel salty caramel sauce then topped with chocolate-caramel, whipped ganache frosting. A sprinkle of fleur de sel on top gives a little hint at what surprise is inside. The recipe is straight from Brooklyn, NY and the Red Hook bakery, baked. ( I have yet to visit, but am enjoying my out-of-kitchen experiences via their book, Baked, New Frontiers In Baking.) 

The recipe wasn't exactly easy, but the fundamentals of it make the difference. This was the first time I ventured into the world of super premium cocoas, using Van Houtte (though I have my sights set on trying Valrhona cocoa and some of the premium Dove). Making the caramel resulted in a couple batches of burnt salted caramel (yuck!), but the danger of 350 degree sugar furiously boiling with the addition of heavy cream made the successful caramel all the sweeter. 

The icing is like none other. When I first tasted it, I immediately thought of  the little chocolate candy mini-bars, Ice Cubes (anyone else remember those? are they still sold anywhere?)  It calls for another batch of fresh caramel with extra cream that is used to melt the pound of dark chocolate for the ganache. Once cooled, a pound of butter is added, then whipped to a fluffy, cloud like finish.  I'd say that our warm Arizona 'room temperature'  is a bit more than this frosting can tolerate for long, so good thing it tastes great from the refrigerator. 

The pictures show the cake not quite thawed out, so the moist crumb looks a little dry. It is far from dry, and the caramel soaked tops add completely different texture. Next time I make this cake I will be using three 8" pans instead of the two 8" x 3" with those tall layers cut in half for four layers. I think this one was out of balance in the frosting to cake ratio, and the un-split layers will keep the layers firmer and less likely to blow out on the sides (as evident in the uneven sides under the frosting).  And I also think to bump up the WOW factor of this already decadent cake, I might add maple candied bacon crumbles to the top. Just because I can.

Six Roses and Some Pearls

Taking a walk on the elegant side, these little vanilla cupcakes would be perfect for a wedding or shower.  By starting in the center and doing a slight twist of the wrist, the large star tip imparts the look of a rose. Tinted fondant leaves complete the look. The pearl cupcake is simply finished with delicately sprinkled pearl dragées. What I appreciate most about this frosting technique is the moderate amount used: the cake isn't overwhelmed by a softball of sugar-coma inducing icing (not that that is all bad all the time, but for an elegant occasion sometimes moderation is key.) And I love, love, love the ruffle top cupcake wrappers encasing each cake like a sweet little tutu.

The cake is a simple vanilla cake (adapted from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook), and the frosting is a boiled French buttercream from  Baked: New Frontiers In Baking .